4. Standing Committee (Prague, 30 May 2017)

Standing Committee: Prague, 30 May 2017

The Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) met in Prague, at the Senate of the Czech Republic, on Tuesday 30 May 2017, in the context of the Czech Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers (May-November 2017).

After welcome addresses by Milan Štěch, President of the Senate, and Jan Hamáček, President of the Chamber of Deputies, the parliamentarians held an exchange of views with the Czech Minister for Foreign Affairs Lubomír Zaorálek (tbc), who will chair the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers for a six-month period. The discussions focused on the Czech Republic's priorities during its Chairmanship and other issues in the framework of the Assembly's ongoing political dialogue with the Committee of Ministers.

The members of the Standing Committee also held an exchange of views with Paolo Alli, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Other items on the agenda included the observation of the parliamentary elections in Armenia, the presidential election in Serbia, and the referendum on the constitutional amendments in Turkey. Debates also took place on the political transition in Tunisia, the employment rights of domestic workers in Europe, as well as human rights of older persons and their comprehensive care.

(*) The Standing Committee, which acts on the Assembly's behalf between plenary sessions, is made up of the President and Vice-Presidents of the Assembly and the chairs of the political groups, national delegations and Assembly committees, totalling some 60 parliamentarians from the 47 Council of Europe member states.

The meeting of the Standing Committee, which was open to the press, was held from 9.30 am to 6 pm at the Senate of the Czech Republic (Valdštejnská Street, Prague).